Dr. Pham Ngoc Bao
Deputy Director/ Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
Email: ngoc-bao@iges.or.jp

Accelerating the achievement of SDG6 targets onwater and sanitation in WEPA countries

BACKGROUND
As of 19th April 2021, a total global confirmed cases exceed: 500 million people
with a total global deaths over 6 million people

IMPACTS OF
COVID- 19
PANDEMICThe COVID-19 outbreak has reiterated the need to ensure access to safe and reliable
water and wastewater services for all to minimise microbial risks and protect humanhealth during infectious disease outbreaks.
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Possible routes and detection of SARS-CoV-2 in human faecal,
domestic and hospital wastewater
More than 500 million infected cases have been reported andnearly 6 million deaths have been confirmed throughout the world

RiverRiver(Source: Bao, 2020)(For further reading:https://www.iges.or.jp/en/publication_documents/pub/issue/en/11056/ISSUE+BRIEF+SESSION+TT-09+_Final+version+for+printing+and+uploading_0.pdf )Septic Tanks and Sewer Network Coverage in WEPA Partner Countries

Illegal dumping of faecalsludge into receiving water
bodies is commonly
observed in many countries

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The 2030 Agenda: Leave No One Behind
SDG Global Targets

SDG Global Indicators

6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe andaffordable drinking water for all

6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking
water services

6.2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable
sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying
special attention to the needs of women and girls and those invulnerable situations

6.2.1 Proportion of population using a) safely managed
sanitation services and b) a hand-washing facility with soap andwater

6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution,
eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous
chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreatedwastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse
globally

6.3.1 “Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flow
safely treated”

1.4 By 2030, ensure all men and women, in particular the poorand vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources as wellas access to basic services...

1.4.1 Proportion of population living in households with accessto basic services (including access to basic drinking water, basic
sanitation and basic handwashing facilities)

4.a Build and upgrade education facilities that are child,disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent,
inclusive and effective learning environments for all

4.a.1 Proportion of schools with access to... (e) basic drinking
water, (f) single-sex basic sanitation facilities, and (g) basic
handwashing facilities

3.8 Achieve universal health coverage (UHC), including financial
risk protection, access to quality essential health care services,
and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential
medicines and vaccines for all[Proportion of health care facilities with basic WASH services]

To meet the new SDG criteria for safely managed sanitation
services, households must use an improved type of sanitation
facility that is not shared with other households and theexcreta produced must either be safely treated in situ, ortransported and treated off-site.
(Source: UNICEF & WHO, 2019)55

COMMON SANITATION CHALLENGES IDENTIFIED IN WEPA COUNTRIES Water security plays a vital role in sustaining livelihoods, ensuring
sustainable socio-economic growth, preserving healthy ecosystems andenvironment, resilience to water-related disasters (e.g., floods and droughts),
and safeguarding human health, particularly in the WEPA countries whererapid population growth, urbanization and increased industrialization havebeen observed.
 The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused enormous disruption tosustainable development in general, and the world is seriously off track tomeet Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), in particular, to ensure
water and sanitation for all by 2030.
 The COVID-19 pandemic also reinforced the urgent need for access to safe
drinking water and sanitation, as well as the necessity of improved
wastewater treatment and sanitation services, and good hygiene to minimizerisks of infections via COVID-19 contaminated wastewater and faeces andstop the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases to the environment.
 This will also facilitate the WEPA countries in achieving the overarching aimsof the 2030 Agenda, as well as relevant targets under the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals for creating a better and more sustainable world.
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COMMON SANITATION CHALLENGES IDENTIFIED IN WEPA COUNTRIES Unfortunately, the current progress in achieving the SDG 6 targets in many WEPA countries has
been slow or stagnant, particularly the targets related to wastewater and sanitation.
 Progress is also being threatened by various man-made and natural factors such associoeconomic activities affecting both water quality and quantity, climate change, and waterrelated disasters, which in turn contribute to increased vulnerability and risks.
 Many major rivers and water bodies in the region have been severely polluted, which was causedby the discharges of untreated or only partially treated domestic, industrial and agricultural
wastewater, leading to substantial levels of contamination in drinking water sources as well as
inland and coastal ecosystems. This pollution has also caused huge negative economic impacts(Bao 2021).
 Enormous progress has been made in WEPA to increase the access rate to improved sanitation
facilities such as septic tank. However, providing adequate access to onsite improved sanitation
facilities does not ensure good water quality in receiving water bodies, if these facilities are not wellfunctioning and their effluents are not properly collected and treated at either centralized or
decentralized wastewater treatment plants before being discharged into the aquatic environments.
Currently, only less than 30% of generated domestic wastewater has been properly collectedand treated in most WEPA countries, except Japan, China, Republic of Korea, and Malaysia.
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Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Approach (such as Johkasou) can fill theGap between On-site and Off-site Treatment Options

88Advantages of Choosing Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Systems

Possibility for
integration into
overall sanitation
strategies andcompliance withrequired standards

High benefits and cost
efficiency; while
minimizing theecological footprint
through nutrient
recovery and sludge
utilization for power
generation

Benefits of Decentralised WW
Treatment Systems
Economic
Modular designs
and having options
for integration into
broader urban land
use anddevelopment
patterns

DECENTRALISEDWASTEWATERTREATMENT SYSTEMS
Reusable of treatedwastewater andbiosolids (byproducts) for
agriculturaloperations

Minimalrequirements formaintenance; andcan be a source ofrenewable energy
generation

Reliability andlongevity; and highresilience to theimpacts of climatechange and lessvulnerable todisaster damage

Low investment & time efficient
Design works in multiple settings
Incremental growth
Sustainable revenue source

SocialImproved hygiene
Opportunity for PPP
Opportunities for local to invest.
DEWATS provide low-cost solutions

Environmental
 Water quality improvement
 Reduces water needs
 Adaptable to discharge standards
 Water reuse and nutrient recovery
opportunities
 High resilience to the impacts of climatechange and less vulnerable to disasterdamage99

Why Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Solution
is still not yet widely implemented in WEPA countries?
 Lack of sustainable financial mechanisms (& business model) for installation, operation, andmaintenance of decentralised wastewater treatment systems is a common challenge across thecountries. Appropriate tariff setting and fee collection systems are also required.
 Financially and technically appropriate approaches for faecal sludge management, including thesludge emptying from septic tanks, sludge collection, transportation, treatment, anddisposal/reuse, has not been established yet though it is an indispensable part of thesustainable management of domestic wastewater.
 Certification of operation and management service for the decentralised systems is requisite
 Lack of practical guidelines for appropriate design, operation and maintenance ofdecentralised domestic wastewater treatment systems under specific local contexts.
 More stringent effluent standard is being formulated and applied in many urban areas, including
residential and commercial buildings.

(Source: PoDIWM, 2021)

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Feacal Sludge Management and Its Roles Increasing access to improved sanitation is not
only a regional (Asian) but also a global priority.
As well as the health benefits, improved
sanitation has significant economic benefits.
 For example, the return on 1 USD spent onwater and sanitation improvements in lowincome countries is 5 to 46 USD, depending on
the intervention (Hutton et al., 2007).

Safely managed sanitation system needs to provide protection fromexposure to hazards across the sanitation service chain, including
proper faecal sludge management

 Providing adequate access to sanitation facilities in itself does not ensure such facilities will operate properlyor as intended, if the issue of effective faecal sludge management is ignored.
 Consequently, improper management of this faecal sludge in many WEPA countries has resulted insignificant impacts on human and environmental health.
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Challenges Faced by WEPA Countries in
Effective Faecal Sludge Management
 Institutional framework for faecal sludge management throughout the entire sanitation
service chain Guidelines on standard design of septic tanks and faecal sludge management Regulations on regular inspections, desludging and maintenance of on-site sanitation
facilities Lack of understanding on effective faecal sludge treatment technologies
 Lack of effective business models for faecal sludge emptying, collection and transport,
treatment and final disposal
 Financing and incentive mechanisms for cost recovery

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REMAINING ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FOR IMPROVING THE
PERFORMANCE OF WASTEWATER & SANITATION SECTOR IN WEPA COUNTRIESInsufficient investment and limited funding for improving wastewater andsanitation infrastructure to address the ongoing challenges, etc.
Low commitment and lack of priority given by local governments onsustainable wastewater and sanitation management
Lack of technical guidelines for local governments andservice providers on both decentralised ww and FSM
Lack of innovative funding mechanisms and businessmodels for cost recovery
Inappropriate attention on O&M (for both on-site anddecentralised systems)
Data availability and quality data with a high level ofreliability remained one of the greatest challenges
Need a strong coordination among relevant institutions in sanitation sector
It is important to improve technical capacity for local governments (e.g. citywide
strategic sanitation planning, sanitation regulations and institutional settings)
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THE WAY FORWARD TO ACCERERATE THE ACHIEVEMENT
OF SDG6 TARGETS ON WATER & SANITATION
Political will and strong commitments fromboth central and local gov.; and sufficientinvest. for improving the sector’s performance

Central Gov.

Identification of appropriate approach for domestic wastewater treatment and management,(either decentralized or centralized or a combination of both 2 approaches)
Incorporate “faecal sludge management” into the overall sanitation planning
Appropriate business models and roadmaps for establishing appropriate tariff structure andfull cost recovery (O&M costs) (both wastewater and faecal sludge management)

Introduction of standard procedures for training,
examination and qualification, to improve capacity
as well as practical skills for desludging workers,
technicians and service providers
Capacity building for compliance monitoring, enforcement of pollution control measures (include
introducing SOPs) for faecal sludge emptying, collection, transport, treatment & final disposal
Technical Guidelines for design, O&M ofdecentralised ww treatment systems & FSM
Improved technical and management
capacity for O&M of septage services

Local Gov.

Private sectors

Introducing regular desludging programs with thesupports of GIS-based database
Upgrading of off-site systems with improved
capacity and advance treatment technologies

Residents
Provision of advocacy, capacity building andawareness raising campaigns, which target
relevant local residents and stakeholders,
including private service providers

Optimization of alternative funding (PPP, Loan/Grant, CSR, etc.)
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THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

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